Monday, June 09, 2008

Tea Review 89 - Tavalon (x4))

New York City BreakfastSerenityAfter DarkOrganic Kama Chai SutraTavalon LLC

The good people at New York City's Tavalon recently passed along samples of a few of their blended teas and tisanes. Here's the lowdown:

New York City Breakfast"A hearty blend of the world's best black teas from India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia created for the New Yorker palate."A new one on me and apparently a Tavalon creation. I like Assam and Yunnan black teas, but have never been much of a fan of breakfast blends. This one was better than most when served hot and even better than that iced.

Serenity/After Dark"A relaxing caffeine-free herbal blend consisting of Chamomile, Peppermint, Lemongrass, Rooibos and Vanilla.""A sweet & sour, caffeine & sugar-free blend of Chamomile, Blood Orange, Cranberry, Apple, Cherry and Hibiscus flowers."Chamomile is another "tea" that's never done much for me. But both of these tisanes benefit considerably from the fresh and intensely aromatic ingredients that have gone into them. Serenity worked better for me than the very fruity After Dark, but that's a personal preference again.

Organic Kama Chai Sutra"An organic blend of Assam tea, cardamom, clove, cinnamon, ginger and vanilla beans."I've tried to come to terms with chai (Earl Grey and lapsang souchong too). I really have. But I've determined that none of these items are really my cup of tea. Once again, though, the ingredients in this one seemed to be very fresh and flavorful. If you are a chai lover it might be worth looking into.